When Nia Vardalos sat down to write the third instalment of her beloved film franchise, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, she knew – like the previous two flicks – she’d need to draw on her own personal experiences again.
“The genesis of this story is that my dad always wanted us to go to his family village up high in the mountains on the mainland of Greece,” the star recalls. “But as adults, when my siblings and I would go to Greece, we would always go to the islands because that’s where the parties are.”
She originally drafted the script to centre on Toula Portokalos, a character Vardalos couldn’t wait to step back into, returning to Greece with her family and her father. But when Vardalos lost her own father, Gus, followed shortly afterwards by the death of her on-screen dad Michael Constantine, she knew she had to rewrite it.
“I did know Michael’s health wasn’t at a place he wanted it to be,” Vardalos explains. “When he read [the original] script, he called and said, ‘I’ll be there, but could I be seated in most of the scenes?’ I assured him I would take care of him. And then his sister called me and said that Michael just couldn’t bring himself to tell me that he wouldn’t be able to join us as he wasn’t well.
“But of course, I didn’t rewrite right away because I was optimistic,” she adds. “Then I received several texts from Michael Constantine just a month before he passed away, urging me to make the film and that he would be there in spirit. I still have the texts in my phone.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 18, 2023-Ausgabe von WHO.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 18, 2023-Ausgabe von WHO.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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OSHER GÜNSBERG MY NORTH STAR
THE TV STAR REVEALS HOW HIS WIFE AND FAMILY INSPIRED HIM TO BEAT CHRONIC PAIN
Paris & Nicole reunion IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE TEENAGERS AGAIN
THE LIFELONG PALS SPILL ON THEIR NEW PROJECT AND UNBREAKABLE BOND
MY VERSION OF SUCCESS
HOW FAMILY DYNAMICS BOTH REAL AND SCRIPTED HAVE INFORMED THE STAR'S LIFE AND CAREER
VICTORIA BECKHAM WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE
INSIDE THE FAMOUS FAMILY'S REACTION TO DAVID'S ON AND OFF-FIELD ANTICS
LEQ AT 50
THE BEST IS YET TO COME FOR THE OSCARWINNING ACTOR
THE PERFECT gentleman
THE ACTOR IS SMITTEN WITH HIS SUPERSTAR GIRLFRIEND AND HE'S NOT AFRAID TO SHOW IT
CHRIS HEMSWORTH FAMILY COMESFIRST
THE ACTOR GIVES AN UPDATE ON HIS ALZHEIMER'S GENE DISCOVERY
KATE'S BIG WEEKEN
THE PRINCESS OF WALES CARRIED OUT BACK-TO-BACK ENGAGEMENTS IN LONDON
Elzabeth Hurleyn A HEARTFELT REUNION
FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE, THE STAR NEVER LOST HER LOVE FOR SHANE WARNE'S CHILDREN
LIAM PAYNE Shock death twist
CHARGES HAVE BEEN LAID IN RELATION TO THE ONE DIRECTION STAR'S DRUG-FUELLED DEMISE